Under Blair, we had Alastair Campbell, under Brown we had Damian McBride, under Johnson we had Dominic Cummings, and then Dougie Smith has emerged under everyone from Cameron onwards. Campbell eventually tried to bring down Brown, McBride tried to bring down Blair, Cummings tried to bring down Johnson in cahoots with Smith and now Smith is trying to bring down Sunak.
Confused? Who are these people who wield enormous influence, often patronising and bullying elected politicians including their theoretical masters?
Special Advisers: now a deeply unhealthy part of the UK’s political system
They are political geeks known as Advisers or Special Advisers (SPADs) who normally live in the shadows, wielding power by obsessively plotting on behalf of or against the very people they are employed by. Their role is justified by being political advisers rather than having to follow the civil service code of impartiality. Most have spent their life in politics from a very young age, can do a great job in policy terms whilst remaining unknown to the public. Some are known to the public, have a very high opinion of themselves and actively seek to subvert the democratic process. They have grown in number as senior politicians require and have been allowed to acquire more partial support in grappling with the increasing complexities of government.
The best known, of course, is Alastair Campbell who became Downing Street Press Secretary under Blair, followed by Dominic Cummings, who became Chief Adviser to Boris Johnson. One can argue that despite their deep unpleasantness and undue influence, they had a useful background in journalism or getting Brexit done. But that was never enough when, with ruthless arrogance, they played on and reflected the insecurities of their respective Prime Ministers. Their ends did not justify their means.
Then there is the publicity-shy Dougie Smith who to his horror has just been exposed by the media in his alleged lead role as knifer of Sunak. He started his political career, like several of today’s senior Tories, in the notorious Federation of Conservative Students (FCS) in the 80s, eventually shut down by Norman Tebbit of all people, for extremism. Smith was a radical libertarian who hated and still hates moderate Tories. He was arrested for making death threats against a fellow FCS member and ran swingers parties before becoming a speech writer to Cameron. Either because of, or despite of, being intimidating, even threatening, he has inexplicably been attached to Downing Street for years.
Such individuals should have no role in a healthy, accountable political system. These so called senior special advisers are out of control, wielding huge power free from scrutiny until it is too late. Elected politicians, even Prime Ministers, can live in fear of the most influential ones, monsters they have often created themselves. And, specifically in the case of Dougie Smith? He simply reflects the rot at the heart of today’s Conservative Party.
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